In a previous article on ESPNsoccernet I explored the role of the coach. I will again turn to this area. Top coaches vary greatly. Some coaches are aggressive and loud and others placid and quiet. I think Gerard Houllier (manager Liverpool FC) summed it up well when asked about what advice he would give a young coach. He said,

“Firstly, be yourself and don’t be afraid to make mistakes- that is how you learn.”

In my eyes this means coaches shouldn’t just try to mimic other coaches but be the person they are. Yes, learn from other coaches and adapt your style to suit your needs. We all develop over time. Developing as a coach is the same as developing as a person. I think coaches should also remember that there is a massive difference between coaching young people and coaching adults. Children react differently to adults- that is obvious. Therefore, why do some coaches insist in behaving like they are the next Alex Ferguson. Giving an 11 year old the ‘hair dryer treatment’ is not appropriate. An 11 year old differs from an adult- obvious but too many don’t seem to see this.

Gerard Houllier went on to offer other advice stating:

“As a young coach you are more concerned about how you look, and about getting everything right. When you are older, you are more concerned about the players getting it right. Don’t try to be liked try to be respected.”

These are all interesting observations. Coaches are concerned how they are viewed. They want people/players to respect them and listen to their views. In fact they are no different to anyone else in this respect. Therefore, giving a good first impression is of vital importance to the coach. He/she can achieve this by being well organised and having planned the session properly based on the theme to be learnt, the needs of the players and the amount of players in attendance. Therefore, session planning is an important skill all coaches must learn. The best coaches at all levels plan what they are going to do. Planning can range from writing in detail what you intend to do to having in your mind the forthcoming session. However, a word of warning, not writing something down and ‘thinking on your feet’ is not easy and even the most experienced coaches would find this difficult. The key is be prepared. Carlos Alberta Parreira (Brazilian National Team Manager) reinforces this point in the following statement:

“ I believe that, at the top level, experience counts for a lot-dealing with top players, making decisions, communicating, PLANNING (my emphasis). Knowing everything that is going on, working with details, and knowing what to do in certain difficult situations.”

At the lower level it even more important to plan as coaches have less knowledge and experience. You can write whole session plans with a diagram and an evaluation afterwards or merely jot down a few notes. Individual coaches must decide for themselves what they think is the best for them. As Gerard Houllier said, “Be yourself”, but also be honest with yourself. Not all sessions will go well but you can prevent many problems by properly preparing and planning your sessions.

In this weeks www.soccer-expert.com chosen show we look at session plans.

Key points discussed in this show

Size of area
Safety zones
Use of cones
Use of bibs

Derek Broadley (former academy director at Crystal Palace FC) writes:

The sign of any good coach is in their preparation "If you fail to prepare, you prepare to fail" is a saying that is always kept in mind by the soccer-expert team. Soccer has over the years become a mathematical exercise in terms of preparation. Coaches get bogged down with numbers of players,balls, pinnys/bibs cones, area size and then the practises that they perform are managed numerically.ie 4x players in each corner with "A" running to "B", "B" running to "C" etc. The reason for this is that coaches can remain in control of the session and it is easy for coaches to know where the fault takes place i.e. the practise or drill breaks down between "B" and "C" because the ball never got to "D". When the game arrives, this coordinated approach is never seen as the game is forever changing. Preparation of sessions should be kept simple and the focus must be on the "Environment" where learning is going to take place. The coaches should play around with area shapes but always control "Time and Space" as these are the only factors that need monitoring. The size of the area is paramount for controlling time and space in that the bigger the area the more time and space available to the players. All practises must have an element of uncertainty, the soccer-expert site will demonstrate a work program that focuses preparing sessions that allow the coach to prepare sessions in a manner that will take away all of the mathematical problems that they have had in the past. The session follows the same pattern throughout, with 3 phases to each session that is realistic, easy to manage, fun and most importantly allows for learning to take place.

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Sources: UEFA Technician No.18 August 2002
UEFA Technician No.13 November 2000